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Call for papers - Anxiety disorders in children

Guest Editors:
Anne Marie Albano: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, United States
Klaus Ranta: Tampere University, Finland

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 3 June 2024


BMC Pediatrics is calling for submissions to our Collection on Anxiety disorders in children. This collection aims to explore the nature of childhood anxiety, its underlying causes, and effective intervention and management strategies, as well as the associations between genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Anne Marie Albano: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, United States

Dr Albano is the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry. She is known for her research in treatment development and efficacy and was a Principal Investigator for the NIMH-funded "Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Treatment Study" (CAMS) and the “Treatments for Adolescents with Depression Study” (TADS), as well as their follow-up studies. She and Wendy Silverman are authors of the Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for Children. She devotes her time to training emerging scholars and clinicians, conducting research focused on the impact of anxiety on development, and in providing clinical care to youth and families.

Klaus Ranta: Tampere University, Finland

Dr Ranta is a psychotherapy trainer and holds multiple adjunct professor positions in Psychotherapy at Tampere University, Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Helsinki, and Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Turku, 2011. His main interests focus on anxiety, depression, and psychotherapy in young people. Dr Ranta has been the Lead of several Finnish psychotherapy trainings and implementation programs from 2015 onwards.

About the Collection

BMC Pediatrics is calling for submissions to our Collection on  Anxiety disorders in children.

Anxiety disorders affect a significant portion of the global child population, posing numerous challenges to their overall well-being and development.  They can manifest in various forms, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias. Understanding the unique features and complexities of these disorders is crucial for accurately diagnosing and treating affected children. 

This collection aims to explore the nature of childhood anxiety, its underlying causes, and effective intervention and management strategies, as well as the associations between genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders.

Potential topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

  • Longitudinal studies examining the trajectory of anxiety disorders in children
  • Investigation of risk and protective factors influencing the development of anxiety disorders
  • Assessment tools and diagnostic approaches tailored specifically for children
  • Exploration of the relationship between childhood anxiety and comorbid conditions
  • Efficacy and effectiveness of evidence-based interventions and treatment modalities
  • Culturally sensitive and inclusive interventions addressing anxiety in diverse populations
  • Innovative technological solutions for assessing and treating childhood anxiety


We encourage submissions from a variety of fields, including psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and education. This collection aims to address critical gaps in our understanding of anxiety disorders in children, which may contribute to improved diagnostic accuracy and enhanced therapeutic outcomes.


Image credit: motortion/stock.adobe.com

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Anxiety disorders in children" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.